Smelting-furnace.



No. 852,613.- PATENTED MAY 7-, 190?. w. e. PERKINS.

SMELTING FURNACE.

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'A TTORNE Y5 UNITED s'rA'rEs PATENT onrrorj. j

7W.ALTER c. 'PERKINST-BF SAN iiiivcisco, CALIFORNIA. SMELTlNG-FURNACE.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

A li ation fil'a lliebrnary 5,1906. Serial No.299Q606. I

a s ecification.

his invention relates to smelting furnaces and more particularly to a continuous proc-- ess furnace in which pyritic ores, or substances containing combustible material, as sulfur,.

etc, are roaste'd and smelted, by 'a continuous process .liiSt having. the pyritic'or combustible material eliminated by a continuous process in which the extraneous heat is derived from an oil or gaseous fuel. r

In treating pyritic or similar ores, chemical substances, etc, it is desirable to first partly eliminate the combustible material and then smelt theresidue. ally been performed in two separate steps or processes. In the case of fine ore, it has required se arate'handling, besides losing the benefit o the heat which is generated by the first process, that of roasting ordesulfuri'zing the material by decomposing or burningthe combustible portion. In carrying out the process for combining these-two operations in one continuous process ofroasting and smelting of such ores and substances, I prefer to use an apparatus of smelting furnace in which the upper portion is used for roasting and the lower portion for smelting. In this apparatus the material is fed in at the top, or sides and as it' passes downward it is gradually heated and desulfurized, passing into the lower- )ort'ionwhere it is completely fused or melte by heat Which is introduced from the exterior b y means of a liquid or gaseous fuel. To preventthe materialfrompassing through the upper portion too rapidly, the furnace is 'contracted so that it virtually forms a double furnace, or one having two chambers. or coinpartments, one above the other, with a throat or passage connecting them.

The lr'awer portion of the furnace is preferably removable and has its chamber arched on top, in the nature of a reverbel ator i furnace with, the fire jets projecting inward and the outlet or discharge in the form of a coin tinuous or tra pod overflow. Provision is also made for ii duced' through the twyers or windbox by conveying a i plorti on of the heat from the bot-- tom of'the rnace thereto and introducing This has genereating the air that is introit into'the air blasLjust before it enters the furnace should it be deemed advisable to do so.

Patented May 7,1907.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in'which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of my furnace, Fig. 2 is a similar view of a portion of the furnace taken at right angles to Fi g. 1,

Fig. 3 is a broken view, partly in section and partly in elevation, of thofunnace, showing a by-pass at one end thereof, Fig. 4 is a'- plan view of the bustle pipe and by-pass.

- Referring more particularly to the drawings 1; indicatesthe upper and? the. lower portion of the furnace. The upper portion is supported in the usual manner and is pro-- vide with a tw-yer or windbox 3 near the bottom on ea'ch side, through "which air from the bustlepipel i is introduced. to the interior of the furnace. Below the twyers the 'iterior of the furnace contracted less abruptly; toprevent the too rapid dc cent of the material toward-and through-t opening 5. YThe usuahwateijacket G'surro ds the furnace and preferably has its lower 1 flat or terminating abruptly so as to fit up top of the lower portion 2. The lower por tion, orsection 2, is preferably mounted upon Wheels 7, so as to be removable from under the uppersection, upon the rails or track 8.- The section is also movable vertically by means of jack screws .9, so that it can be lifted up until its .top is made to encontents from the uppersections passingthrough it as thcy become fused or melted.

The roof of the chamber is'fpreferably arched,

ected to a certain so that the heat will be re degree upon the molten material in the hotn or engage with the I The throat exfrom the top of the chamber 11,

tom of the chamber and thereby assist in keeping it in a liquid condition.

- The fuelfor (generating the heat-is preferably'introduce in the form. of an inflammable gas, which enters through the pipes 12, said pipes being provided with ordinary.

valves, not shown, having their innerv ends contraotcd as shown at, 13 and preferably pointed upward toward the throat 10. A

supply of air is introduced through a pipe 14,

no which preferably'terminates to the rear of the t p or" inner end of said p pe, so as .11

give the air an opportunity of mingling with the gas before it escapes into the furnacei If desired, thetips of the-pipes 12 may extend otherwise thannpward, as for instance,

they may project downward, so as to cause the heat to impingedirectly upon the mate rial in the bottom of the chamber-"11.

The discharge of molten material from the chamber ll'is continuous and is effected by means of an opening 15 and a s out-16, the

outer end of the spoutbeing big or than the top of the opening 15, which will cause the material in the chamber to rise above the top of'the 0 ening before it can run out of the, end of t as spout, thereby causing the opening to be trapped or closed. A water jacket 17 surrounds the opening 15 so as to prevent the excessive heat of the molten metal from destroying the furnace at that point; From the spout 16 the material is discharged into a receiver 18 in which the heavier portions, or metals, sink to the bottom and are drawn off in the usual manner.

The lower section is preferably formed from fire-brick 19 silica or magnesite and is inclosed by a metal shell or covering 20, so

' expansion of the parts.

that the shell maybe relined Whenever the old lining becomes corroded or burned out to such an extent as to be defective or incapabl'e of giving the best results.

For the purpose of securing better control of the heat and thereby rendering it more efficient I prefer to provide a conduit or bypass from the chamber 11in the lower section to the supply pipe 21 that communicates with the bustle pipes 4. This conduit is preferably made in the form of a separate structure 22 which crmlmunicates at one end with an opening 23 of the furnace and at the other end with the supply pipe 2]., and-a damper 24 is provided near the lower end.

The conduit is supported on a suitable base 25 and has its lower end abutting against the furnace so as to permit of the movement that must take place durin contraction and T is upper end and the supply pipe are joined together onair angle whereby the heated air is drawn through the conduit and forced into the fur-. uses on theprinciple of an injector.

. By producing an excess of heatirrthe chamber 11 the surplus can be transferred to the bustle pipes and there used for warmingthe inrushing air which renders it more effective than introducing cold air into the, furnace fol-carrying on the process of partial desulfurization of the material; and b r increasing the amount of air introduce into the chamber 11 to such an extent that all of it cannot be consumed the excess will become heated, which will ass into the mass from the bottom throug the throat, or more or less of it can be transferred to the bustle pipes and then introduced after it has been commingled with the air from the supply pipe. O l the amount of air maybe less than sufficient to combine with all-the fuel or gas with the material being treated.

By constructing the furnace in this man- I nor an absolute control of the heat can be had in the mass, and the most desirable results can be obtained with ores of different character, i'or the heat can be changed from one place to another and can be increased or decreased to suit the conditions of the ore being treated at any particular time i I In operating my improved furnace the lowersection is laced in position below the upper one and e. evatedtuntil its top engages with the bottom of the upper section and forms a tight joint therewith, an asbestos call ring being preferably arranged between them for effecting a; closer union; The

charg is then fed into the upper chamber in the usual manner, and the gas is turned on and. lighted in the lower chamber. The heat passes up through the throat, or chimney, at i the top of the lower section, into the upper section "and there comes in contact with the material to be treated. The heat gradually heats the mass and. passes on u through it to the top, heating as it goes. s soon as the lower ortion bf the mass becomes heated to sucli stance in the mass, as the sulfur, is read to burn, or become decpmposed, is it mitted through the twyers which will fur a degree that the combustible sub-' nish the necessary oxygen to combine with the sulfur and cause it to burn, and thereby add its heat. to the mass and permit of the heat in the lower chamber being decreased as by shutting off part of the fuel. f, As the mass is thus roasted, or desulfurized, it

section, where it is subjected to the heat Tom the gas and is uickly fused and drops into the chamber of the lower section. From said. chamber'the melted material passes through the discharge into the receiver, where the. metallic or valuable portions are separatedil'rom the dross orworthless portions in the ordinary manner or can be drawn out through the tap hole 26 asindicat'ed in Fi .1.

il rorn the foregoing it will be seen that metalliferous ones or chemical substances of widely different qualities or characteristics, either .line' or coarse,.can' be successfully gradually settles to the bottom of the u 'iper treated in the furnace, owing to the control which can be had of the air either cold or heated that is introduced into the upper chamber and of the air andfucl into the lower chamber. Whenever it is desired to remove the lower section the fuel pipes are removed and the section is lowered onto the tracks, after which it is hauled out'of the way, and another section is put in its place 'be dispensed with, or, if the air were introduccd it could be heated to a greater or less ,degree, so as'to warm the mass before it came in contact with the hit from gaseous fuel in the lower ortion of t he chamber.

Instead oi forming the throat in the top oi the lower section the lower end of the upper section maybe extended down into the lower section'with its water jacket-,1 thereby preventing damage to the lower SCl 3 llainniable gas into said chamber. Having described my invention, what l 5 tion by the excessive heat at that point.

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

L'In a smelting furnace a hollow structure formed in two sections, the lower end of the upper-section being contracted and provided with an opening, and the lower section being provided with a chamber which communicates with said opening, means for introducing a blast of air-into the upper sec tion above the ci'intracted portion, means for connecting said air introducing means with the chamber of the lower section and means for introducing an inflammable gas into the chamberof the lower section.

2. In a smelting furnace a hollow struc ture formedin two sections, the lower end of the upper section being contracted and provided with ano pening, and the lower rcmovable section being provided with a chamber and a throat leading therefrom to said open ing, means, for introducing a blast of air into the upper section above the contractedpon 'tion, means for connecting said air introducing means with the chamber of the lower section and means for introducing an inflammable gas into the chamber of the lower section.

8. In a smelting furnace a hollow structure formed in two sections, the lower end of the upper section being contractei'l and'pro- 'vided with an opening, and the lower section being provided-with a chamber and a throat loading thcrei'roin tosaid opening, means for introducing a blast of air into the upper sec tio'n above the contracted portion, means for connecting said .1ir introducing means with the chamber of the lower section and means for introducing an inllanunable gas and-an air-blast into the chamber of the lower sec- 5 tion.

4. In a smelting furnace at hollow'str'ucture, formed in two sections, the lower section being removable and provided with an ing an upward 1y exit-unlinethroat adapted to communicate with the lower end of the upper section, and means for introducing in- 6. In a smelting furnace a hollow structure formed in two sections, the lowersection being removable "and comprising an outer shell and an inner lining, said lining being removable and forming a. chamber having a throat adapted to conn nunicate'with the lower end of the upper section and means for introducing'gas into said chamber.

7. In a smelting furnace a hollow receptw clc, means for applying heat and introducing air, and means for varying the heat zone with in the mass by transferring a portion of the heat from the, bottom of the mass to a point above the bottom. p

Ina smelting furnace means for generating heat at or near the bottom of the furnae-c, means for introducing air to the interiorat the side of the furnace, and a "conduit from the means at the bottom to the means at the side for conveying heat from the bottom to the interior of the furnace without passing it up through the mass of material.

9. in a smelting furnace means for generatmg heat at thebottom of a mass of material and means for creating aiorced drait' upon the exterior of the mass, thereby withdrawing heat units, and introducing them into the mass at a point above the bottom.

10. 'In a smelting furnace, 'means at the bottom thereof for generatingheat from a gaseous fuel, means for introducing air through the side of the upper receptacles, and a valved conduit leading from the heat ing means at the bottom to the means for introducing said air for conveying said heat and introducing it into the receptacle above. In tcstimou whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 24th day of January, 1906.

"ALTER G. PERKINS.

VVitnesses:

M. R. SEELY, F. M. BARTEL. 

